Fantasy Tips - Hyderabad vs Kolkata on May 19

They last met in this tournament more than a month ago and it was SRH’s bowling prowess which had choked Kolkata Knight Riders in front of their home crowd. Dinesh Karthik’s side did well to return to the reckoning for the playoffs after the heavy hammering they received from Mumbai Indians recently but they would have to clinch an outright win to make the playoffs, probably as the third team. They have 14 points from 13 games at the moment. A loss would still keep them in the hunt pointwise but their NRR is still poor (-0.09) because of that thumping and KKR are less likely to qualify on basis of that. For SRH, a loss would not mean anything in terms of points but they would look to return to the winning ways before taking the field for the playoffs.

Best economical pick – Rashid Khan has been quite consistent with the ball. He is a game changer with his leg-breaks and googlies. He dismissed AB de Villiers and Moeen Ali in the same over against RCB to tweak momentum in SRH’s favour. Rashid Khan has seldom gone wicketless in an innings in IPL 2018. And when he strikes, he does it big. So, go for him in your Fantasy League XI.

Top captains & vice captains –Kane Williamson has been in the form of his life. He cracked 81 in a losing cause against RCB and almost won the match for his team. But he could not help the team cross the finish line. He scored four consecutive fifties so far and his eight in 13 innings. That’s quite a consistency. With SRH suffering two straight losses, Williamson would be more than keen to get back to winning ways and leading from the front once again. You must bet big on Williamson and can even appoint him as skipper of your Fantasy League XI. On his day, Sunil Narine can destroy any bowling attack. He was at his brutal best against KXIP, slamming a match-winning fifty. He can also chip with those quick cameos even if he falls early. He slammed 21 runs in the first over of KKR innings against Royals. With the ball, Narine is already a proven match-winner. If not for the bat, Narine can you earn points with his bowling.

Smart pick –Andre Russell has been a game changer for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2018. He has played few brilliant impact innings to turn the fortunes around for KKR. He has cracked those crucial cameos to give KKR innings the flourish it needs. With the ball, he has been spot on, making crucial breakthroughs.

Cautious Pick –Basil Thampi has been a little unfortunate this season. He’s in a side that has the best bowling attack in the tournament. He went for 70 runs in the last game against RCB. HIs figures of 4-0-70-0 is now the worst figures in IPL history